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10 REASONS TO MEET AT A CASINO HOTEL
by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

            Looking to show a winning hand with your next group? A casino hotel may be just the answer. Whether your next group's eye is on the budget, the blackjack table, or ballrooms and boardrooms, casino hotels may help you hit the jackpot. With their increased popularity, these hotels appeal to planners -- and to attendees -- for a variety of reasons:
           
1. ADDITIONAL ATTENDEES

            Many meeting planners agree on one point: enrollment rises at gaming destinations. "It does help on attendee response," says Tracy
A. Harris, President of New York-based Eventastik.
            Surveys confirm what planners already know: Gaming destinations are real winner with travelers. This summer's survey by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) showed that 22% of Americans would like to visit a casino in the coming months. TIA's most recent statistics show that 792 million person-trips are taken annually to include gambling.

2. EASY FOR PLANNERS

            With attractions like 24-hour gambling and glitzy shows, planners find that meeting delegates happily fill their own free time. The result: less work for meeting planners. "It cuts down on need for off-site activities; people are happy with the casinos," explains New York-based Harris.
            And although some planners fear that they'll lose attendees to the tables during scheduled meeting times, experienced planners point out that delegates have all evening--and all night, if they wish--to try their luck at the 24-hour casinos.

3. ROOMS, ROOMS, ROOMS

            With their continued success, casinos mean mega-hotels. Las Vegas offers over 120,000 rooms (although they also report an occupancy rate of over 92%); by the end of 2001 the convention and visitors bureau is projecting over 125,000 guest rooms with 1.3 million square feet of convention space throughout the city. When size matters, many planners turn to destinations like Las Vegas for its numerous large properties such as The Venetian, the world's largest hotel and convention complex. The 3,036-suite hotel offers a direct link to the 1.2 million-square-foot Sands Expo and Convention Center and the half-million-square-foot Venetian Congress Center. Presently the hotel books approximately 50% of its rooms to the group business market.

4. ON-SITE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS

            One thing all casino hotels have in common is that there's no shortage of activities for attendees and guests. "With spouse and guest programs there are built-in activities," explains meeting planner Dian Lindsay of Ewe-Me and Company of Portland, Oregon. "There are all sorts of activities right at the casino." Options range from shopping arcades and live entertainment to rollercoasters and waterparks, not to mention the casino floor itself.

5. NON-GAMING ATTRACTIONS

            Attendees cannot live by boardrooms and blackjack alone; nearby attractions are important. Like hotels anywhere, casino hotels are often located near plenty of freetime options, an especially important factor since not every attendees wants to spend their free time in the casinos. Reno is the gateway to the largest concentration of ski resorts in the country; the north Nevada city is also home to over 40 golf courses.
            Planners also find a wide variety of activities in the Las Vegas area: excellent golf courses, professional sporting events, botanical gardens, and bountiful outdoor activities such as skiing or mountain biking at Mt. Charleston, hiking at Red Rock Canyon State Park or Valley of Fire State Park, and white water rafting below the Hoover Dam. Tours to Grand Canyon are another popular option.
            In Oregon, The Mill Casino • Hotel works to introduce groups not only to its gaming but to nearby attractions as well. "In fact, we
can offer ideas for on-site activities that could enhance the conference experience," explains spokesperson Deana Scott. "Our goal is to provide a complete entertainment experience to our guests. Whether it's gaming, listening to live music, learning about tribal culture or walking along our waterfront boardwalk, guests will find something to do 24 hours a day.  This is a great benefit to a meeting planner! We also provide complimentary shuttle transportation for guests staying in the hotel to the airport and local golf courses."

6. FAMILY OPTIONS

            As gaming becomes more and more widespread, traditional destinations like Las Vegas have diversified to market to a crowd that identifies more with high chairs than high rollers. Casinos such as the Mirage, Treasure Island, Luxor, Circus Circus, and MGM Grand appeal to a family audience, tempting younger visitors with everything from rollercoasters to a replica of King Tut's tomb. Conventions that include family members will find child-friendly options in what was once an adults-only destination.
            The latest addition on the family-friendly scene is The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Open only to guests of the property, the 11-acre water experience is one of a kind. "It's an almost two million gallon aquarium experience with 2,000 animals, mostly dangerous and unusual predators. The setting is as if you are walking  through a jungle; you pass crocodiles, monitor lizards, sea turtles, jellyfish, and ultimately end up on the deck of a sunken ship in the middle of a 1.3 million gallon tank filled with sharks," explains Gordon Absher, director of public relations. When it's time to get down to business, meeting planners find the Mandalay Bay Conference Center offers the 44,900-square-foot South Pacific Ballroom, the 31,800-square-foot Islander Ballroom and 17,086 square feet of breakout space. The Mandalay Bay Events Center offers a 12,000-seat sports entertainment complex that converts to an exhibition center to offer 38,815 square feet of exhibition space with additional meeting and function space of 26,100 square feet.

7. NUMEROUS DINING OPTIONS

Gourmet dining in restaurants like Paris-Las Vegas's signature French restaurant atop the "Eiffel Tower" are becoming more and more popular in casino hotels. Along with quality comes quantity; many casino hotels offer a dozen or more dining choices. And don't worry about the hotels being able to accommodate a large number of meals for a sizeable group; in Las Vegas, the buffet tradition is still going strong as well. At the Circus Circus Hotel-Casino, over 10,000 people a day are served buffet style (one day they did over 17,600 worth of plate filling!)

8. THEMES

No place can carry a theme like a casino hotel. From King Arthur's court to Venice to Paris, these luxury properties take a theme and run with it. Las Vegas has carried theme concepts to new heights and produced a fantasyland where attendees can visit ancient Egypt, King Arthur's Court, a tropical rainforest, Venice, New York, Paris, Rio's Carnaval, and more. When it's time to plan themed events and functions, there's no better place.

9. GOOD VALUE

            Although supply is increasing, so is demand and with that has come a rise in prices. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates that weekend room rates have risen 32% compared to last year while weekday rates have climbed 17.3%.
            However, casino hotels still remain a bargain for groups. "When we're talking about value, we're talking about us," says Imperial Palace spokesman Larry Houch. The casino hotel, next year celebrating a quarter century on the Strip, offers groups 25,000 square feet of meeting space. "Our staff really works hard to take care of groups and that's what we repeatedly hear from meeting planners."
            Another value for many groups is transportation. Free shuttle services are available from some casino hotels for attendees who opt to stay at smaller properties. "Some of my conferences host 400-500 people who are spread across the community in various properties," says Lindsay. "Often the casinos have complimentary shuttle service from outlying hotels. That saves me thousands of dollars."
           
10. VERSATILE MEETING SPACE

            Although most casino hotels offer expansive meeting space, it's not the only option for meeting planners. "Most have theaters as well with good staging so you can have high end speakers and take advantage of the theater infrastructure," explains Lindsay.
            The stars that typically fill those casino theaters can also be another entertainment option. "Often the casino is already booking high quality entertainment and, if your timing is right, you can sometimes book that entertainer for your group, something your budget would never allow otherwise."